


Day 7: My Choice

by NutellaSecretAgent



Series: Wholesome Week 2 [7]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Crying, Friendship, Gen, Magic, Prince TommyInnit, Royalty, Wholesome Week (Video Blogging RPF), Winged Toby Smith | Tubbo, Wings, brief mention of death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:54:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26673982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NutellaSecretAgent/pseuds/NutellaSecretAgent
Summary: Hiding behind broken feathers only does so much.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Series: Wholesome Week 2 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1932877
Comments: 19
Kudos: 429
Collections: Wholesome Week 2





	Day 7: My Choice

**Author's Note:**

> Day 7! I’ve had the idea of winged!Tubbo for a while but never got around to writing it, so I’m very glad I got the chance to do so.

If anyone had walked in on him at that very moment he would have chucked himself out the window immediately, either dying from the fall or from a fatal blow dealt by a soldier.

The wings he’d carefully hidden on full display has he preened feathers that had been broken for months.

Toby hated the fact he had to hide his wings but he knew that if someone were to catch him with extra appendages, he’d be slaughtered right then and there regardless of who he was.

Shifting carefully, he plucked the bent, green feathers from his primary set, while his secondary set of wings fluttered anxiously.

Two wings was ridiculous, but four wings was even harder to deal with. 

Every time a feather was pulled he muffled a cry into his sleeve. It wasn’t healthy to pluck your own feathers all the time, he learned, but when your species was eradicated in a mass genocide, it’s not like he had anyone to turn to.

He was 6 when it happened, blurry memories of his mother carrying him to safely as the forest burnt around them, the smell of burning cedar forever ingrained in his mind.

She had cared for him dearly, but when at 9 tragedy struck when she was killed by a hunter while he clung to the treetops above for dear life.

At 16 he knew enough about himself to know how to stay hidden. King Phil had welcomed him as a poor homeless boy near months after he had learned that with a tiny bit of magic, his wings could be hidden.

Soon he found himself best friends with the youngest prince, Tommy, who although loud at times, he wouldn’t trade for the world.

Deep down he feared the resentment if Tommy were to learn what he was, and those thoughts haunted him every day, harder and harder to suppress.

A knock at his door had him hissing far too loud as he jerked his hand in surprise, yanking a feather roughly from his wings.

Fear flooded through him, there wasn’t enough time to hide, the spell took nearly 20 minutes to take effect.

Sucking in a deep breath he called out.

“Hello?”

He tried to pretend his voice didn’t shake.

“Toby? You doin’ alright?”

Oh no, it was Tommy.

Glancing at the clock he realized he had missed their scheduled meetup in the plaza, his friend having come look for him at the orphanage itself.

“I’m fine Tommy! Just a little sick is all.”

A moment, “Oh, are you ok? I can bring you some food if you’d like. The people at the door said you hadn’t come out today.”

This is the side of Tommy people rarely saw. The caring, peaceful side that often times Tommy was too prideful to show.

“No no, I’m good! You can go!”

Shuffling, “Are you sure you’re ok? Your voice sounds... different.”

Panic seized his lungs and clawed at his chest.

“I’m all good! It’s the... the sickness! That’s all! Nothing wrong here!”

A few seconds passed by and he worried his friend would bust down the door at any minute.

At last a quiet, “Aright... I’m free all day so if you wanna hang out or something, you can come by.”

Then Tommy was gone as quickly as he had appeared, footsteps fading down the hall as Toby’s heart gradually slowed down and he stopped shaking like a leaf.

Sobs wracked his body, wings curling around him instinctively as hot tears ran down his face.

He wanted so desperately to tell Tommy, to be able to share his world with his best friend and one he considered family.

Fate was never kind to him, and the panic failed to subside. He was struggling to breath at this point, black dots dancing in his vision but Toby’s lungs refused to move.

It might have been seconds or minutes that passed, he didn’t know, but an unfamiliar warmth was suddenly around him, forcing him to focus on the feeling of a circular movement at his back below his wings.

Eventually he was breathing slower, eyes closed but still very aware of his surroundings.

The warmth shifted and behind his eyelids Toby’s eyes widened, the sound of breathing and quiet whispers of comfort only now reaching his ear.

Blue eyes snapped open, pushing away the other and scrambling back against the wall, and against his own volition, wings flaring out in fear.

Tommy looked at him, and for a moment all he saw was anger and disgust, but when he blinked, instead he found himself under a concerned and awestruck gaze.

Nobody spoke, but the tension in the air gradually faded until the two boys looked at each other with unreadable eyes.

“Tommy-“ “Toby-“

They both stopped, Tommy giggling lightly causing Toby to give a small grin.

The smile faded and he took in a breath.

“Tommy. I’m sorry, I understand you don’t want to be friends anymore but please, please let me leave! I won’t come back and won’t bother anyone else just let me-“

Tommy cut him off.

“Toby what the hell, I’m not gonna say I understand exactly what’s going on, but why would you leave!?”

It was Toby’s turn to blink.

“Why would you want me to stay? I’m a freak...”

Tommy’s eyes softened, reaching out gently, and although he flinched, Toby managed to grab Tommy’s hand.

“You aren’t a freak Toby, I know there’s a lot of negative stigmas around non-humans but I don’t mind. In fact, I think it’s really freaking awesome!”

When he met eyes with the other, he only saw sincerity.

Tears began flowing again, and Tommy pulled back, panicked, but Toby just laughed.

“Toby? Toby! Are you ok!? Did I say something wrong?”

Toby gave him a blinding grin, “I’m so happy.”

At this Tommy relaxed, huffing slightly with a smile on his face.

“You’re so weird, but it’s a part of you, so I guess you’re ok.”

The two sat in silence, the tension gone and instead a happy atmosphere replaced it. With the shifting air in the room, Toby pulled Tommy into an embrace and they stayed like that for what must have been minutes before Toby released to wipe at his eyes.

More silence, Tommy began fidgeting, and when Toby got his gaze he gave a little smirk.

Reaching out one of his green and gold wings, he gave it a little shake.

“You wanna touch it?”

Tommy looked frozen.

“Am I uh, allowed too? I don’t wanna hurt you or nothin’. Or make you uncomfortable...”

Instead of speaking, he pushed the feathery appendage into his friends hand, who began lightly trailing his hands over the ridges and bumps of the wing.

Tommy’s hand passed over a particular spot and he pulled back, puffing out the feathers while his friend looked startled and a little anxious.

“Oh shit sorry! Did that hurt?”

Toby grimaced, “Yeah, sorry, but that’s not you’re fault. I haven’t properly had my wings preened in years.”

“Preening... isn’t that where you remove broken feathers and try and clean your wings or some shit?”

He nodded.

“Well,” started the blond, “would you like me to help?”

It was clear Tommy was expecting rejection but was instead met with sparkling eyes and a happy smile.

“Oh please! It’s been too long... it’s not healthy to go so long while preening your own feathers.” 

Tommy looked nervously at the feather appendages, but determination quickly overcame that previous hesitancy to touch.

“You know what you’re doing?” Toby asked.

“Yup! I’ve seen Wilbur’s parakeets do this before, hundreds of times even, this should be a piece of cake.”

At first, the touches were so light he could barely feel them, the tension slowly leaving his wings as they got more comfortable with a touch that wasn’t his own.

As they sat there together on the hardwood floors, the realization that someone out there accepted him for who he was and what he was finally set in.

No longer did he have to hide behind magic in the presence of his best friend.

A quick look behind him to see Tommy sitting there, tongue sticking out as the prince focused entirely on the task at hand, he could help but smile.

Perhaps fate did love him on this day, and perhaps, just maybe, things would be alright.

Toby and Tommy could get through anything as long as they were together.

Side by side.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m considering doing a whole fic with Winged!Tubbo, let me know if you’d be interested in reading it.
> 
> Tysm for reading this and don’t forget to take a look at the rest of the wholesome week fics! <3


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